Modest drought relief comes to the inland Southeast

The January 13th drought monitor shows 67% of the U.S. is experiencing abnormal dryness or drought, down 3% from the previous week, with 42.5% in D1 level drought or higher, down 2.3%. Currently 28% of corn acres are in D1-D4 drought (down 4%) with 34% of soybean acres (down 4%), and 41% of winter wheat acres (down 1%) also impacted. For livestock, 34% of the U.S.cattle herd is in D1-D4 drought conditions (down 2%) with 29% of dairy cattle also in drought (down 5%).

Rainfall was more widespread over the past week with precipitation falling across parts of the Plains, Midwest, and Southeastern U.S. Rains were especially heavy in portions of Mississippi and Alabama where localized reports of up to 5 inches occurred. Warmer than usual temperatures across the Midwest led to most areas seeing precipitation in the form of rain rather than the usual snow for this time of year. Soil moisture levels remain a concern in the southern portions of hard red winter wheat country.

The National Weather Service expects drier and warm conditions to return to most of the western U.S. in the next 7 to 10 days, while cooler and wetter patterns are likely to dominate most of the eastern portions of the country over that time. The area with the most likelihood to receive above-normal precipitation is near the Tennessee Valley, with rainfall near the coasts also noted as a possibility.

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